There is a certain quiet to girlhood — one that lingers long after childhood has passed, surfacing in the way we remember the games we played, the friendships we built, and the quiet moments of heaven that felt so absolute. “girls playing soccer” a short film by Ariana Mamnoon, is an homage to that feeling, to the beauty of movement and connection, to the way a simple game of soccer can hold an entire world of memory. In casting a group of Iranian and Middle Eastern women—Marwa, Tara, Desiree, Nina, Rahill, and Maral—Ari not only recreates a piece of her own past but offers a vision of girlhood that is soft, strong, and deeply communal. The film is a meditation on presence—on hair flowing under the weight of dusk, on feet meeting the earth, on bodies moving together as if in conversation.

The music, created by Rahill and Maral, deepens this illusive atmosphere, weaving together past and present through sound. A setar hums over a bed of synths, bridging Iranian musical tradition with contemporary ambient textures. The voice of Forough Farrokhzad—one of Iran’s most beloved poets—whispers a line from Tavalodi Digar ("Another Birth"): "I grafted you to the tree, to the water, to the fire." There is an insistence in this piece, a refusal to let these images and sounds be forgotten. “girls playing soccer” asks what it means to hold onto those moments—to let them exist without explanation, without apology. It honors the act of remembering, not as nostalgia but as a form of preservation, a way to carve out space for girlhood, for Iranian identity, for movement that is both physical and emotional. In the interplay of music, poetry, and image, the film becomes an invocation of everything that remains unspoken yet deeply felt.

Ari, approaches sound and film with a similarly intimate touch—blurring the lines between recollection and presence, much like she does in her band, untitled (halo). Her ability to create deeply personal yet expansive work carries into this film, where motion, sound, and identity intertwine in a quiet, intuitive rhythm. Rahill, a musician and writer whose work is often guided by memory and cultural inheritance, brings a natural fluidity to the project—whether through her contributions to the score or her presence on the field. Maral, known for her experimental approach to electronic music, has long explored the possibilities of blending Iranian folk sounds with contemporary textures. Together, the three artists create something that feels intimate yet expansive, a space where identity is not defined by expectation but by the act of making itself. More than a reflection of childhood, Untitled (halo) captures a kind of continuity—girlhood not as something left behind, but as something that lingers, shifting shape but never disappearing.

In this conversation, Ari, Rahill, and Maral reflect on the quiet power of revisiting girlhood, of making art that honors the past without being beholden to it. They speak about the joy of collaboration, the ways in which their identities naturally shape their work, and the importance of creating spaces where Iranian and Middle Eastern women can see themselves reflected— in lightness, in play, in beauty. "girls playing soccer" is a love letter to the girls they were, the women they have become, and the ever-present pulse of community that ties them together.
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The video feels almost like a memory, with a melancholic nostalgia overlaying the video. When looking back on your childhood and the memories and experiences you had as a young woman, how does that influence your artistic process? Is there a form of healing involved in making art that encapsulates feelings of girlhood?

Ari: I notice that a lot of the art I make carries this feeling of nostalgia, especially for childhood. I love the aesthetic of childhood. Little figurines, hair clips, making weird sculptures out of dirt…this video is a memory of my childhood, but I also to anyone’s childhood. I grew up as a child of Iranian immigrants, and I played soccer. My dad was my coach. Growing up I always felt like a little bit of an outsider because of my identity. I always wanted to fit in. As I get older, I am more confident about myself and my culture, and it’s been so natural for me to pull from this space when making art. I never want to hinder myself and only make art based on identity, so with this video, for example, is working to showcase Iranian culture in a more free way…I would hope haha. At its core, I wanted to pay homage to my youth but also to paint a picture of beautiful strong Middle Eastern women playing soccer, with their hair down. 

‍It is so easy as a child to tie your identity to your sport, friends, or hobbies. As you got older and distanced yourself from those parts of your identity and grew into multidimensional women and artists, what was it like to revisit that part of your identity, your youth? Do you find yourself revisiting those moments often in your art?  

Ari: This video was my attempt to bridge my childhood to my current life. I am lucky to have met such talented and creative women who were the actresses in my video. I never thought when I was a child I’d be able to make something with such amazing women who also shared a similar identity to me. It felt surreal, and also allowed myself to bring out those tender moments of childhood where all you know is kicking a ball into a net. 

Rahill: I think it's no secret I haven’t distanced myself from sport as I've grown older, soccer is still very much a part of my life. I play two or three times a week if I’m lucky. My love for sport continues to turn up everywhere, in my art I often reference its significance and impact. I’ve written a song called Futbol, dedicated to one of my heroes, Zinedine Zidane. I believe soccer in itself is an art form, so it is not just a reference in my art, it is an art.   

Maral: When I was younger, I never felt like my identity was tied to one thing. I’ve always been a digger, a searcher and had several things I would be obsessed with at a time. I loved finding the ways my different obsessions could connect with each other and I think that still applies to my music-making. I’m always tinkering with how to combine seemingly disparate things but that to me hold a kindred energy. I spent a lot of my childhood going back & forth from the USA and Iran, and I think that helped me grow and explore my identity at a young age.

How do you approach combining music from your Middle-Eastern roots, like the setar in the video score, with the contemporary ambient, alternative, and rock sounds you explore now? Are you influenced by music that you heard in your childhood, or was it something that you connected with later in life? 

Ari: I grew up with my parents always playing Iranian music around the house. My uncle who lives in Vienna is a trained performer and would play setar and sing for me anytime I would visit him. Being introduced to this type of music and rhythm, and not to mention the beautiful poetry that is the language of Farsi, undoubtedly has influenced my love for all kinds of music. Simultaneously listening to Iranian music, I had my brother blasting Blink 182 and punk rock around the house. The blend of these two I think pushed me to let myself like all kinds of music, and to make music that is multi-dimensional. 

Rahill: My childhood upbringing has always had a strong presence and influence in my music. I’m indebted to my father who shared not just the music, but also the poetry and folk tales with me, it left a lasting impression. Once I started making art and playing music that imprint showed up quite naturally in lyrics, instruments, visuals, and samples. It is a major part of my identity so whether direct or indirect, it is almost always present. I was so happy when Maral added the setar!

Maral: As I mentioned before, I would go to Iran every year for a couple of months and I also lived there for 2 years, ages 10 to 12. Walking around Iran has been the biggest influence on my music. When I first started, I wanted the music to feel like you were sitting in an old taxi with all the windows down, the taxi driver is playing an old warbly cassette of Persian folk music, you have an iPod in one ear playing rock or electronic music, and then hearing all the different sounds from the streets whizzing by. I then became interested in hearing these classical and folk vocals and instrumentation in different contexts, what would it sound like if a folk singer from the northern rural part of Iran was in a punk band or in the club.

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What is it about the community of alternative/electronic music that allows for a true exploration of creativity? What role does connecting with and building your community play in terms of your creative process? 

Ari: Meeting musicians like Rahill and Marall I think gave me a lot of hope in the music and art community. From the get-go of meeting both of these individuals, it felt so real and so supportive. I think we all are secretly rooting for one another all the time haha. I met Rahill in New York this past summer. We were DMing and she somehow found me outside of a bar and we talked all night. She immediately felt like my big sister. I met Maral when I was interning back in college, and she put me on her dublab radio show which honestly kicked off my radio career. Both of these relationships, along with other artists I admire and have worked with such as filmmaker Gillian Garcia, really have provided me with hope in making work. I used to and sometimes still have imposter syndrome (don’t we all) - but making art with your friends and people you admire is something I am so grateful I get to do and got to do with this piece. 

Rahill: I am grateful to be a part of a community that consists of musicians like Maral and Ari, who, like me, share a similar background yet each of us makes our own unique and distinct music. To me, that affirms that we are an amalgam made up of different parts and pieces, and there is a freedom in knowing that, in exploring that in our art. What I value collectively in any community is freedom and truth and Maral and Ari are both artists I admire because their art is a pursuit and reflection of both tenets.

Maral: Community is so important, it allows you to be a part of something beyond yourself. The idea that your art can nourish an ecosystem that supports others to go beyond and stay authentic. It was the most inspiring and comforting thing for me to find other Middle Eastern women making experimental art. I had felt so alone in my music-making, it was finding kindred spirits like Rahill & Ari and electronic artists like DJ Haram, and Lara Sarkissian that really solidified to me that I could see myself as a producer and artist. As well as communities like Discostan which is helmed by the amazing artist Arshia Haq that allowed me spaces to present my work in its purest form.

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The collaboration between the three of you resulted in a seamless and meaningful collaborative piece of work. Was that something that came naturally to you all? What was the process like? 

Rahill: It was kismet for me. Ari texted me asking about the likelihood of being in LA around the time she was filming a short. I happened to be flying from NYC to LA on the day it was scheduled to be filmed, and when she explained the premise, as you can imagine I was really excited. Musically, I've always wanted to collaborate with Maral, we’d been talking about it for years, so I think we both knew it was gonna turn into something really meaningful and special. The process felt very natural and almost magical the way everything fell into place. 

Maral: As Rahill mentioned, we had been dreaming of working on a track together for years, I notoriously take a long time to make collaborations happen, for example, I just released a track with YATTA that we recorded in 2020! Music-making for me is, I think, different from most artists, it’s always such a miracle and joy when a track materializes. How easily this track came about makes me so excited to hopefully continue making music with both Rahill and Ari!

Ari: It definitely came naturally. As Rahill said, I had met her a few months prior, knew she played soccer, and randomly texted her like are you going to be in LA anytime soon, I am making a film. And boom. She happened to be arriving on the day of the shoot. I picked her up and she was ready to go in her soccer fit. I couldn’t believe it! Same with Maral, I texted her if she would be down to take part, and we always had talked about the collaboration of some sort - so this really felt like the right time and it really just came together so easily, I think that’s how you know! 

You all have very successful careers individually, why was it important for you guys to come together and make something that so clearly comes from a personal place? What kind of fulfillment did you find through making this together rather than solo? 

Rahill: I loved this collaboration so much. It was empowering for me because it is quite atypical for Iranian women to pursue music as a career (let alone in our very left-field genres) so doing this with Ari and Maral meant a lot, I am proud of them in a very sisterly way. Visually speaking, seeing brown women playing soccer is a big deal for me. I never got to see that when I was younger, and that made me feel inferior as a player. I am so happy to see so much of it now, it is truly heartening. As a woman, I still feel the burden of having to prove myself on the soccer field before some men will view me as their equal, but that has become much less, thanks to the efforts (such as this) made in creating space for women. Honestly, if a young girl sees this video and decides to join a soccer league, or pick up an instrument, that would be the ultimate fulfillment.

Maral: It felt so satisfying to create something with two really inspiring Iranian women, growing up I never thought something like that could be possible. I was always surrounded by strong, intellectual Iranian women growing up but still felt like an outsider regarding the type of art I wanted to create. We are so lucky to be in a time period where we can connect and hopefully inspire others to do the same. I think a big part of being an artist is not just being focused on your career but actually being present and working with others, whether that be through art, discussions, or a helping hand.

Ari: Yes, similarly to what Rahill and Maral both said, it is atypical for Iranian women to pursue music or art as a career. I think doing this piece together was really powerful and affirming for us all. It was a piece for us, but more so I think we’d all hope that any person watching this could feel that sense of community/friendship/hope.

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Space and place can be incredibly influential in creation – What role does the city of Los Angeles play in all of this?

Ari: All of my videos and the ones I have been working on recently are tied to and indebted to Los Angeles. This piece was filmed at a soccer field in La Canada Filtrage, one of my favorite areas in the city. I remember driving around LA trying to find the perfect field, and when I found this field, tucked away on a hill, overlooking the city, I knew it was the one. LA provides me with so many points of inspiration. I get bummed when people hate on LA, I think if you really look around, the city has so much to offer. Good people, nature, it’s this weird beautiful melancholic place…I love LA! 

Forough Farrokzhad is widely known as a voice for feminist issues, women's desire, and sensuality but also widely speaks out about the importance of human nature in her artistic process. Why was her voice and poetry what you chose to include in this video?

Maral: I think Forough Farrokzhad holds such a special place in every Iranian woman's soul. I grew up with a poster of her in my grandmother's bedroom and was gifted her poetry at a young age, her presence is always there. I sample her a lot for my music, like you mentioned she represents so much and the recordings of her reciting her poetry are powerful. For this track, I sampled the poem “Another Birth”, in the first line she says “My whole being is a dark chant, which will carry you” and the track felt like a chant to me. The line that I sample says “I grafted you to the tree to the water to the fire.”, I thought that fit in well with the imagery of the film as well as reflecting the reverence & introspection I think we all feel towards nature.

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